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View Full Version : Machine polishing and sensors in bumper


rhavyn
10-22-2018, 10:40 PM
Hello everyone,

I’m going to be polishing a car with proximity sensors in the painted part of the bumper for the first time. How do you guys normally handle them? Do you tape over them, polish carefully around them or just polish right over them?

Thanks for any thoughts!
dcjredline
10-23-2018, 01:44 AM
Guess it depends on your polisher and pad choice. I wouldnt go over them with a WOOL pad on a rotary. DA with an orange pad sure, Id go over them (and have). The thing you have to know is that they are mostly just edges so very susceptible to burn through. Doubt you will notice if they arent polished over and I bet if you do notice you could hand polish them.
itsgn
10-23-2018, 08:46 AM
I’m going to be polishing a car with proximity sensors in the painted part of the bumper for the first time. How do you guys normally handle them? Do you tape over them, polish carefully around them or just polish right over them?
I tape them off. It doesn't have to be perfect (meaning the tape doesn't have to cover only the sensor, and nothing more), but it's definitely advisable to tape them off. For one, because the sensors could have been painted or coated somehow, and you could polish off that coating, which might expose a different color material underneath. But even if you're totally sure that this is not the case, it still makes sense to tape them off, because once the polishing compound gets into the small crevices around the perimeter of the sensors, it will be very hard to get it off from there.
Rsurfer
10-23-2018, 02:22 PM
Just don't run the pad directly over the sensor. Touching the sensor with the edge of the pad will do no harm on a DA.
Kamakaz1961
10-23-2018, 02:48 PM
OH MAN! I SUCK! I do go over the sensors with my pad, however, not too much pressure. If you want to tape off that would be better. I am too lazy to do that. Additionally, I do not go too hard on my bumpers as they are plastic and IMO you can damage more easily in terms of correction as it is a softer material than the rest of the metal panels. But SO FAR, no issues with my sensors not working.